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Below are some of our most frequently asked questions about caring for your Chelsea Clock. Do you have a question about your clock? Visit our FAQ page or simply type your question in the comment section below and we will provide you with an answer as quickly as possible.

Is it possible to over-wind my clock?

No, it is not possible to over-wind a Ship’s Bell or Shipstrike Clock. An under-wound clock will sometimes have an inconsistent chime or may not keep accurate time. When it comes time to wind the clock, be sure to wind both keyholes (clock mainspring and strike mechanism) completely each time (turn the key until you can not turn it any further).

My clock chimes inconsistently. How can I fix this?

More than likely this is caused by not fully winding the clock. To resolve the issue, wind both the clock mainspring (right keyhole) and the strike mechanism (left keyhole) fully. Next, turn the minute hand clockwise to the correct time, stopping at each hour and half-hour point to allow the bells to strike their full count. The hour hand should never be moved manually; all adjustments should be made by moving the minute hand.

How should I care for my clock if I am going on vacation or unable to wind it for extended periods?

If you are not going to be with the clock for over one week, be sure to fully wind both keyholes on the clock. Then insert the black tube into the winding arbor in the front of the clock (provided with the clock’s original packaging). This will ensure that the clock does not wind down completely. If you have misplaced your black tube you can contact us and we can mail you a replacement or you can cut a plastic straw to fit and insert into the winding arbor.

Need a new clock?

Chelsea Clock has been handcrafting quality timepieces since 1897. They offer clocks in a variety of styles and price points that are suitable for all types of decor. Their signature Ship’s Bell Clock is a statement piece like no other and would make a great addition to any home, office and/or yacht.

Without actually examining the clock, our repair technician suspects that the strike levers may be out of alignment and require adjustment. We recommend that the timepiece be serviced by Chelsea Clock to correct the problem. You may download a Repair Request from from the Chelsea Clock website and submit it with your clock to receive a free estimate. A repair quote will be sent to you prior to any work being performed. Most Ship’s Bell clocks are with us 6 – 10 weeks from the time the repair quote is approved. Please contact us at 1-866-899-2805 should you have additional questions. Thank you.

For daily care and cleaning, we recommend using a soft, dry cloth to remove surface dust and fingerprints, and to lightly buff and polish. Do not use brass or metal cleaners, as they may contain harsh chemicals that can strip the clear lacquer coating and cause pitting and discoloration. If the lacquer coating has been removed or damaged, the brass may tarnish. It must be refinished to bring back the original bright luster and then re-lacquered. No cleaner or polish will improve the condition. Refinishing is available through Chelsea Clock Repair & Restoration services. Please visit https://www.chelseaclock.com/Clock-Services for more information. Thank you.

Thank you for your note. Unfortunately, once the fast/slow regulator begins to have little or no effect on time keeping, it’s a tell-tale sign that clock is in need of cleaning and servicing. You may wish to send it to our Repair & Restoration facility for a free estimate. Please visit our website for more information at: https://www.chelseaclock.com/Clock-Services

The South-the easy out Glenn Beck was looking for is just apply the law-follow the Constitution-he is not eligible not from the day of conception. Done-Legal-Just-Finished. Let the chips fall where the may. Other criminals will get their trials. Worked for Nixon and his people-the country did not go into panic mode like they pretend is going to happen.Yuck the thing that is pretending he’s potus is on 60 Minutes have to mute.

Hi… I liked the story about the guy that has one hundred and twenty Chelsea clocks… I have seven and only six are in the house… one is in the presidents office… I mean the president of the “Mertaugh Boat Works” in Hessel Michigan… Brad let’s in come in and visit my seventh Chelsea every now and then!

I’m so sorry to hear that your Chelsea isn’t working properly. We always recommend sending clocks directly to us for repairs so that the master clockmakers who make them are able to repair them to their original luster and functionality. You can take a look at our repair services on our website, and even submit a request here: https://www.chelseaclock.com/p/repair-restoration/

OK I sent my 1928 Chelsea Ship’s Bell in for a complete overhaul and I have a question. My fast/slow adjustment lever needs to be a good two and half lines off center (towards slow) in order to keep the clock from gaining time. I thought during the overhaul the technicians at Chelsea would have zeroed it out. Eric, the front desk/ reception guy, said to test it for a month, but it seems to me it should not have to be 2 1/2 lines towards slow. Is this normal or should I send it back?

Yes I sent the clock back to Chelsea for a second look. I’m looking for a tolerance of +/- 60 seconds over a weeks time with the fast/slow adjustment zeroed out. I know over time the adjustment will have to be slid over more to one side or the other, but I think fresh out of a major factory overhaul I should expect more than almost full slow to achieve aforementioned accuracy.

I work on a deep sea vessel with a mechanical ship strike Chelsea. 2 problems:
I noticed the number of strikes did not match up with the 8 bell schedule. How do you reset the sequence on the bell strikes?
I turned the strike on/off lever to off and now it won’t full engage so the strikes sound. It’s stuck about halfway. I don’t want to force it. Anything I can do to get it to re- engage?

I have a Chelsea Shipstrike whose chime sequence is an hour ahead of where it should be. Example: instead of chiming 8 bells at 0400, the 8 bells are sounded an hour early, at 0300. All half hour and hour chimes are sounded correctly (increasing by one bell every half hour until 8 are sounded, then repeating sequence), just an hour early. Anyway to correct this?

I have a Chelsea’s Ship’s Bell clock. I went out of town for several weeks. I rewound the clock and now the ship’s bells chime sequence is incorrect. I’ve waited 2 days to see if it would self-correct, but this has not happened. How do I correct this? Can you send me the same email you sent Jill?
Thank you.

I’m having the same problem. Our Chelsea clock keeps great time but the bells are 1 hour behind, 8 bells at 7 not 8. Could someone publish the info on how to fix this. It seems to be a big issue. Alternatively, if someone is willing to email me directly I would appreciate it.

Dear Lindsay
I am having the same problem as a number of people on your web site. The bells are out of sink but the clock keeps excellent time. Can you please email me the instructions to re-sync the bells with the time.

On a Chelsea Bicentennial Clock ( House Strike ) the bell is chiming one hour ahead on the hours but is correct on each half hour. Meaning at 1:00 / two bells, 2:00 / three bells and so on. It is correct with one bell for each half hour however. Is the clock just not set correctly ? Also do you have an original style USA made key for this clock ?

I sent my circa late 1960’s, 6″ dial, Chelsea Pilot clock in because the minute hand was missing. Yes, as weird as it seemed, the only way I could get a minute hand was to risk shipping the clock to Chelsea, at the cost of round trip shipping/insurance and the cost of a hand, alone, roughly $50, and according my extrapolation, about the spot price of gold. In any event. The clock worked perfectly, kept perfect time and would strike as designed, prior to shipping to Chelsea. Upon its return it no longer strikes. I was required to sign a waiver of sorts stating that if I did not have the clock serviced, i.e. movement, that Chelsea would not be responsible if it arrived back to me not working. I have shipped numerous Chelsea clocks and never has shipping caused any of them to stop running, or striking. I guess there is a first time for everything. Can’t afford to send it back to Chelsea. Shipping and Insurance alone is costly.

Why does the last question (#13) on your FAQ page say “Never move the hand backwards.” but in the instructions for the Ship’s Bell clocks it says to move the minute hand backwards if the movement is “jammed” and the clock has stopped?

I have a recent problem with my Boston Ships strike clock that the bells are not in synch with the time. They sound on the hour and the half hour, but at 3:30, for instance,the number of bells is 5 when it should be 7 . Can you please send me the e-mail about adjusting the bells.

We have a similar problem with our Boston clock. The striking is 1/2 hour behind the time, e.g. it strikes 9:30 at 10. This is our third Chelsea clock. The other were used as ship’s clocks. We are very attuned to the bells. Please send us the email with instructions.

Hello, our chelsea ships clock keeps perfect time and the bells sequence fine. However, they chime at 20 and 50 past instead of on the hour and on the half. Based on the number of strikes, theyre coming 20 min late, for example at 920pm the clock chimes 2 bells and at 950 it chimes 3 bells. How do we correct this?

I was away for an extended period of time and my Chelsea Shipstrike was stopped for several weeks. Since I returnef and rewound it, the chime is our of sequence. Can you please tell me how this could be corrected?

I recently purchased a used ships strike clock. The chimes seem to be off by one. I. E. 830pm chimes 2x rather than one. Several of the replies above referenced an email with instructions on how to reset the chimes. I would appreciate it if you could forward me these instructions.

I had my Chelesa clock repaired or rebuilt by Chelesa about Three yrs ago. You did an incredible job, but the clock has stopped and will not run. What should I do. This clock is over 100 yrs and a beautiful time piece.

My Chelesa clock has worked great for the last three years since you basically rebuilt it. Just a few days ago it stopped. I wound it and nothing. The clock is 105 yrs old and I’m upset. What can I do.

I recently purchased a U.S. Navy Chelsea Clock Co made in 1966 . It keeps perfect time but it does not chime. Removing the movement from the case revealed no chime mechanism at all. Is this normal? Please advise.

Hello Thomas, You may do this by simply moving the white Zulu hour hand with your finger to Greenwich Mean Time or to any time zone you choose. Please let us know if you have further questions. Thank you

Hello Christopher, It does sound like a broken spring. However, without seeing it, it’s difficult to be certain. You may wish to send it to us for an evaluation and free estimate. Please visit our Repair & Restoration section for more details – https://www.chelseaclock.com/p/repair-restoration/
Thank you.

I’ve read through all of the FAQ entries above & found only a couple that are similar but not the exact same problem I’m having. Top of the hour strikes correctly, even numbers 2-8. The bottom of the hour however isn’t just off by one or more but is completely out of sequence but consistent. I checked the strike hammer for alignment it’s in the middle of the rod & gap is about 1mm at rest from the rod. The hammer strikes the rod every time without stopping short.

The sequence is this:
1200 is 8, 1230 is 7, 1300 is 2, 1330 is 1, 1400 is 4, 1430 is 3, 1500 is 6, 1530 is 5
1600 is 8, 1630 is 7, 1700 is 2, 1730 is 1, 1800 is 4, 1830 is 3, 1900 is 6, 1930 is 5.

Thank you for your inquiry. According to your description, it appears that the mechanical movement needs to be overhauled and the lever requires resetting. You may find more information about our repair & restoration services by visiting https://www.chelseaclock.com/p/repair-restoration/ . Thank you!

I let my ship strike wind down so I wound it. I then mistakenly advanced it too far for the cure time so I had to advance it 12 hours to get it back to the correct time. It now does not run. The chimes work when the minute hand is advanced.

According to your description, it sounds as though the movement requires replacement. You are welcome to send it to Chelsea Clock for evaluation and a complimentary estimate. You can learn more about our services by visiting https://www.chelseaclock.com/p/repair-restoration/ Thank you!

My shipstrike clock has run flawlessly for about 13 years. When I attempted to wind it last Sunday, I realized it had a full wind on both stems. It has apparently stopped. Is there a trick to restart one?

Mine did the same two years ago and it was totally locked up. I found my old instructions from 1974 and in it describes the problem which is not in the new instruction.

“If the minute hand is locked, the mechanism is jammed. To release it, wind the clock fully on both sides, and then move the minute hand backwards (CCW) one hour or more. Finally, reset the time letting the clock strike at the hour and the half-hour points.”

Thank you for your inquiry. You are welcome to call our Customer Service representatives at 1-866-899-2805 and they may be able to guide you through the process to restart the clock. Thank you!
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First,
I know the F/S setting does not work and just rotates without effect. Is this due to a need for cleaning?

Second,
My bells ring way too fast to count. The rest time is so close that all the bells ring together and I have to count each bell vice each two group ring plus the one off bell for time 30 minuets. In other words there is no rest time between each two ring group which makes the purpose of a ships watch bell. Can I open the back and adjust this? After about 5 days per wind, they do slow down to almost normal, but still too fast.

Hello I have a Chelsea Williamsburg Reproduction Replica that was striking on the hour and once on the half hour. Last time it was wound it is keeping perfect time but only striking one time on the hour and the half. Any suggestions?

Hello, If your Shipstrike Quartz clock is mounted to a wood base, the felt along the inside of the cradle could be muffling the sound of the chimes. You may wish to move the clock case up slightly onto the base to allow a bit more space below the case. Thank you for your inquiry.

My Chelsea ship bell clock runs fine, but the bells are four hours off. Would you please send me the email on how to adjust. I have read that I can adjust the hour hand to sync with the bells, but your instructions say to not move the hour hand.

Hello. My Chelsea schip Bell Clock runs well. Unfortunately The minute hand was bent during winding and subsequently became stuck against the hour hand. When I unbent the minute hand a day or so later, things worked fine except that the bell count is now one hour ahead. So 8 bells at 3 o’clock. Could you please let me know how to synchronize the bell count and the hour?
Thank you!

Hello,
I have an older Boston (quartz) shipstrike clock- this one is powered by a single C-size battery. Great timekeeper, but it strikes at exactly one minute before the hour (H:59). Is there a simple adjustment?

Any ideas on how to remove the ship’s wheel from my Chelsea clock? None of the spokes of the wheel will budge. I am most reluctant to use a tool and risk almost certain scarring. Is each of the spokes threaded into the clock housing? Many thanks in advance for any advice

Hello,
I have a Chelsea clock with back plate serial # 431446 & U.S. serial # 86367E.
Clock is in working condition but never serviced.
The problem is that clock after winding, goes faster almost 5 minutes per day.
I tried to adjust from the front plate wheel (F-S) but without result.
Can you tell me what you suggest?

Hello, I have a 24 hour U.S.Navy Chelsea clock. The face is approximately 8″. The serial number on the face is 49820E. The clock has been in my family for at least 50 years. My Dad is a retired Navy Chief and he brought this clock home when I was a child. It hung in our kitchen until Dad decide to sell his house and move in with my sister about 6 years ago. It now hangs in my den but it needs some work. Dad had taken it to a local clock repair a number of years ago and they were able to get it running but it never kept good time. It always ran fast. There is a dial on the face to adjust speed but it has no bearing on the way it runs. Lately I’ve noticed that the clock is slowing down. It now keeps almost perfect time but I’m afraid this might be the clocks last gasp. Any information you can give me about this clock would be greatly appreciated. I would also like to get the clock repaired at your Boston facility.

Hi,
I have a Ships Bell click which keeps time beautifully but the strikes are off by one hour behind i.e. strikes 8 bells at 3,7 and 11.
I know from reading your posts that there is a fix for this.
Would you please email me as to what to do?